


unanimated

by notriyashah



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Character Death, Fiction, Humor, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I promise it's not sad, M/M, Meet-Cute, Philosophy, Romantic Soulmates, Self-Acceptance, Short Story, Surprise Ending, What Was I Thinking?, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:28:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23611564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notriyashah/pseuds/notriyashah
Summary: The world is black and white for Seo Joon. If we are being specific, there was a hint of grey as well. But that's it. Joon has never seen colours in his life.At the age of twenty-two when most of his friends have met their soulmate and developed the ability to see beyond the black and white, he is still waiting.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here is a little something. 
> 
> I came across this prompt on tumblr and decided to write my way around it.  
> It's simply a short story. A work of fiction. It doesn't have to be your taste. You don't have to agree what anything mentioned in the next few pages. However, in case you find yourself enjoying it, do let me know. 
> 
> .  
> .  
> Thank you.

The world is black and white for Seo Joon. If we are being specific, there was a hint of grey as well. But that’s it. Joon has never seen colours in his life. At the age of twenty-two, when most of his friends have been successful in finding their soulmate and in developing the ability to see beyond the black and white, he is still waiting.

Maybe, it won't exactly be truthful to say he has never seen colours.

There was this one time, thirteen years ago. Joon had just turned nine. It was still his birthday and he was eager to feast on his cake, which his grandma would only let him eat after he got back home from school. He wasn’t thrilled about this rule, but knew better than to argue.

Once school ended, he was the first one out. Running on the sidewalk, he dodged as many students as he could while wondering if running like Naruto would make him any faster. Before he could try this out, he reached the crossing which signalled pedestrians to stop and let the cars pass by. He was impatient but not an idiot and so he stopped. Once it was safe to move again, he started crossing the street.

That’s when it happened. Not the part where he sees colours but the part where he wets his pants. There was a speeding four-wheeler making its way right where Joon stood. A scream built in the back of his throat as he felt panic settle in, leaving him paralyzed. He closed his eyes waiting to be hit by the car.

And then, he did get hit by the car.

There was unbearable pain one second, and the next it was gone. He slowly opened his eyes to glance down at his feet, but all he could see was golden. He felt warmth spreading across his chest while his skin tingled with an unfamiliar sensation. Before he could register anything, it vanished.

He woke up two days later in a hospital bed, his world black and white once again. With a hopeful heart, Joon waited for his soulmate to show up. He was ecstatic, waiting to see the colours he had only heard his parents talk about. He wanted to paint and then paint some more. But for the most part, all he wanted was to meet them and be best friends. So, he waited patiently for the day his soulmate would show up.

Spoiler alert; his soulmate never showed up.


	2. Chapter 2

Joon’s mom was eighteen when she saw colours for the first time. It had happened when she was waiting for the bus to start making its trip to the city, where she would be studying for the next four years. Once the last few passengers got in, the bus jerked forward. She tore her gaze away from her book to look outside the window. Even when it was black and white, she found it beautiful. The vast stretch of grasslands followed by the distant mountains left her warm. Just as she spotted the sun rise, she felt someone slide in the seat next to her. She turned to look at her neighbour when she found herself staring at an almond-shaped pair of eyes. There was an odd twinkle in them. She gave a polite nod to the stranger next to her before returning to admire the view. Except this time, it wasn’t two-toned.

Joon had heard this story many times. Maybe that’s why he was riled up when he made his way to the city. He was eighteen now, an age where it’s considered fairly normal to meet your soulmate. All he had to do was wait; something he had been doing since he was nine. He pretty much considered himself a saint at this point.

It would be worth it though, he thought. Afterall, it was for his soulmate. A person he would be spending the rest of his life with. A person who will fill his life with colours. Not figuratively of course, but literally.

Joon spent his college years participating in as many events as he could. He didn’t want to miss out any on occasion that could possibly lead him to that big moment. While majoring in Business Studies didn’t leave him with much free time, he compromised sleep for studies and spent most of his day preparing for whatever event he decided to be a part of.

By the time his final year rolled up, he was twenty-two and still without his partner. It’s alright, he thought to himself daily. He shifted his focus to studying, which was easier said than done because his exams were right around the corner. After graduation, all his attention went to securing a decent job and later, a decent apartment. He did not spend his nights wondering what kind of a person his soulmate would be. He definitely did not spend his nights feeling emptier on the inside. He was okay.

So, at the age of twenty-two, when most of his friends were settling in with their partners, starting a new chapter together, Joon stayed alone in his apartment looking for the next distraction.

Twenty-five years old, and he couldn’t care less about this soulmate. He was okay and why shouldn’t he be. He had just been promoted. He deserved it. He had worked harder than anyone else in his department. Had never missed a deadline. Had fallen asleep more on his desk than his own bed. He needed this promotion. He was convinced it was going to make him happy. And it did, at least for the first thirty minutes.

He stood outside his apartment later that night, head spinning from all the alcohol he had consumed earlier with his colleagues. He fumbled with his key a little before entering the silence of his apartment. Closing the door behind him, he sat down, exhausted. Welcoming all the darkness surrounding him, he gave up. He couldn’t pretend anymore. He was miserable and alone. He was miserable because he was alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Realistic. Joon is plenty realistic. After being alive for twenty-eight years, it’s just one of the many skills you acquire, given the regular doze of trauma. A near death experience is simply the cherry on top. As much as it pains him to admit it, Joon had considered the possibility that his soulmate might just not be alive. But it didn’t fit with the rules.

In an event where a person dies without meeting their soulmate, the soulmate develops a somewhat washed-out eyesight. The soulmate no longer sees black and white but at the same time, never sees colours as they were originally meant to.

Twenty-eight years old, Joon is somewhat an apt representation of the walking dead. Okay, not exactly, he is still very much attractive but simply dead on the inside.

He doesn’t do anything that requires him to go out of his way. He goes to the gym followed by his workplace. He is good at his job and owns a comfortable apartment. He doesn’t have to worry about sending money back home as he is able to manage his income well. He also volunteers every Sunday at a retirement home.

It would be a lie to say he has accepted this solitude and is at peace with the black and white world. However, he is no longer angry. For he, now empathises with his soulmate who would be stuck with this two-toned reality as well. He wonders if his soulmate has someone to rely on or simply talk about their day. He wishes every day to cross paths with his partner, but it’s no longer just for his sake. Many nights he finds himself thinking if this delay was his fault; if he had somehow messed up and ruined the moment they were destined to meet. Those nights, he lets his emptiness turn into something more fatal: self-hatred.


	4. Chapter 4

Joon had been volunteering at the Sunset Retirement Home for about two years now. At first, he only did it to keep himself busy; to not let his inner void get better of him. He needed a distraction, a reason to get out of his bed, a purpose at best. He had come across this retirement home one evening when he had decided to walk home. It was almost a coincidence. But soon it felt like destiny as the place grew on him.

Sunset Retirement Home housed many grumpy old women and just as many grumpier old men. But he enjoyed spending his weekends with them. His favourite part was when they talked about how they met their soulmates, obviously. But there was more to it than just some iconic meet cute.

The person he found the most intriguing was a short woman in her 70’s who would often ask Joon to walk her around the garden. He was more than happy to. Ms. Gertrude would ask him about his week and then go on complaining about how the doctors are conspiring against her sugar intake, to which he would let out a warming laugh.

It was a typical Sunday afternoon only with the exception of it also being his birthday. He had celebrated his thirty years of existence with the people at the retirement home. The usually grumpy ladies had stopped their nagging for five whole minutes when he came around. His birthday was already better than most of his previous ones. He walked Ms. Gertrude around after he sneaked her an extra piece of cake. He knew he had become her favourite then. They laughed some more before he said his final goodbyes and made his way back home.

He was walking on the sidewalk that leads to his home when it hit him. He was happy. For the first time, he was no longer scared to spend the rest of his life on his own. It’s true that he might never see colours or get to meet that one person he was destined to be with. But in that moment, he couldn’t care less. He was content. He was at peace.

He stopped at the junction waiting for the indicator to show when it’s safe to cross the street as he wondered what led to this sudden rush of calmness. Was this him experiencing mid-life crises or had listening to Ms. Gertrude’s insane conspiracies finally made him lose his mind?

Whatever it was, he didn’t want to over analyse it. He was simply thankful. For the first time in thirty years, Joon felt complete. He promised himself he wasn’t going to let anything shake that. He was done waiting, not for his soulmate; but for his happiness.

With that thought, he walked forward to cross the street. That’s when it happened. Not the part where he sees colours of course; but the part where he gets hit by the four-wheeler speeding towards him. Except this time, he doesn’t wet his pants.  
Except this time, he dies.


	5. Chapter 5

On the 9th of April 2017, Seo Joon died at the age of thirty. His death wasn’t painful. Instead, it was almost as if death was waiting for him. One second, he was alive and the next he simply wasn’t.

If there is one thing to learn from his death, it’s the fact that no matter how careful you are, there will always be room for uncontrollable events. It’s only natural to worry about their consequences; but at the same time, it’s important to draw a line between worry and obsession. One keeps you alert while the other ends up controlling you.

Life doesn’t always have a meaning. However, if we try to find meaning behind Joon’s thirty years of existence, it makes sense to say life is nothing but a series of pointless events. We can spend our entire life looking for some meaning, maybe a purpose or a goal. There’s no harm in that; as long as we remember to be faithful towards our happiness while we’re at it.

There won’t always be a life-changing event or a meaningful conversation that suddenly makes everything fit and solves the puzzle. However, if we take a chance and believe, there will be enough coincidences to ease our survival.

Coincidences such as Seo Joon finding death at the age of thirty.

At first, there was darkness. The air smelled like spring, almost captivating. Joon wasn’t sure how the rules of heaven or hell worked, but this wasn’t what he had expected. Opening his eyes, he saw colours for the first time. He stood there in the middle of a daffodil field staring at the endless evening sky. It was beautiful, more beautiful than anything he’d witnessed so far. But that’s not what took his breath away, metaphorically of course. He was still very much dead.

Five yards ahead, stood a man dressed all in black, radiating golden rays around him. His hands held a firm grip around a wooden stick with a long curving blade attached to it. He took a few steps ahead to stand exactly in front of Joon. His face was ethereal. His eyes were like caramel, inviting him to get lost in them. His lips were a work of art.

Something about being in the stranger’s presence made him feel alive. There was once again warmth spreading through his chest while his skin tingled with a now familiar sensation.

Joon knew exactly who the stranger was.

Smile forming on his face, he opened his mouth to speak, “Isn’t it a little pretentious to carry a literal scythe around?”

Death, with a smirk plastered on his face, took another step ahead as he replied, “Is this actually how you choose to greet your soulmate?”

**Author's Note:**

> "My favourite thing about being an artist is that there are no real limits to what you can create. Anything you imagine can become reality."  
> -eqon on tumblr


End file.
